Health Article Index
About Food, Nutrition, Health and Other Good Things. This is the master directory for the Hopkins Technology free health library — a collection of plain-English consumer-health articles, much of it adapted from United States government public-domain sources. Browse the topic clusters below and follow any link to the full article. Every article closes with a short list of authoritative resources so you can read further.
New to the library? Start with the cluster closest to your question, and read the overview article before the narrower ones — the overviews explain the terms the rest assume. Articles are reviewed and refreshed periodically as public guidance evolves, and each one links onward to the primary sources it draws on, so you can check anything you read here against the original.
Nutrition & Diet
Eating well is the foundation of good health. This cluster covers everyday nutrition, weight management and the science of a balanced diet. If weight is your immediate concern, the practical place to begin is our step-by-step guide to losing weight safely — including a look at when it makes sense to involve a clinician.
- Nutrition Basics: Building a Healthy Plate
- Losing Weight Safely
- Dietary Fiber and Why It Matters
- Sodium, Salt and Your Health
- Body Mass Index for Adults
- Complex Carbohydrates · Eating Better When Eating Out · Dietary Guidelines for Americans · Walking for Exercise · Women and Nutrition
Heart Health, Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
Cardiovascular disease remains a leading health concern. These articles explain the major risk factors you can act on.
- Eating for a Healthy Heart
- Understanding High Blood Pressure
- Lowering High Blood Cholesterol
- Stroke · Heart and Arteries · Fitness Fundamentals
Vitamins & Minerals
A reference series on the role of essential nutrients and good dietary sources of each.
- Sources of Vitamin D
- Sources of Vitamin A, B-6, B-12, C and E · Calcium · Iron · Magnesium · Niacin · Potassium · Riboflavin · Thiamin · Zinc · Folacin
Herbs & Alternative Medicine
Plant medicine and complementary traditions, presented for general understanding. One caution applies across this whole cluster: tell your clinician and pharmacist about every remedy you take, because plant preparations can interact with prescription medicines.
- Western Herbal Medicine: The Herbalist Reference
- Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology
- Medicinal Herbs (Parts 1 & 2) · Homeopathy · Ginkgo Biloba · Recognizing Health Quackery
Food Safety
Safe handling, cooking and storage of common foods.
- Beef · Ground Beef · Chicken · Eggs · Fish & Seafood · Ham · Hot Dogs · Pork · Poultry · Turkey · Food Color Facts · Food Irradiation · Home Canning
Diseases & Conditions
Plain-language overviews of common chronic and infectious conditions.
- Diabetes
- Influenza (Seasonal Flu)
- Arthritis · Asthma · Allergies · Back Pain · Chronic Fatigue · Common Cold · Crohn's Disease · Diverticulosis · Epilepsy · Fibromyalgia · GERD · Gallstones · Glaucoma · Gout · Headache & Migraine · Hepatitis · Hip Replacement · Insomnia · Kidney Stones · Lyme Disease · Multiple Sclerosis · Osteoporosis · Parkinson's · Pneumonia · Shingles · Stroke · Ulcers
Cancer
Overviews of common cancers, screening and survivorship.
- Bladder · Breast · Cervical · Colon · Kidney · Leukemia · Lung · Melanoma & Skin · Ovarian · Pancreatic · Prostate · Stomach · Thyroid · Cancer Survivorship
Mental Health
Understanding common mental-health and neurological conditions.
- Alzheimer's · Anxiety · ADHD · Autism · Bipolar Disorder · Depression · Down Syndrome · Dyslexia · Eating Disorders · Learning Disabilities · OCD · Panic Disorder · Schizophrenia · Managing Stress
Women's & Children's Health
Reproductive, prenatal and pediatric topics.
- Birth Control · Pregnancy & Diet · Breastfeeding · Menstruation · Menopause · Mammograms · Breast Self-Exam · Childhood Immunizations · Feeding Baby · Giving Medicine to Children
Home & Environmental Health
Hazards around the home and basic emergency preparedness.
- Asbestos in the Home · Poisons in the Home · Mold · Radon · Recycling · Earthquake, Flood, Tornado and Wildfire Preparedness
Read Further
For the broadest authoritative consumer-health reference, see the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Return to our home page at any time, or read about Hopkins Technology.